Young, Scrappy, and VERY Hungry
by Iconicbloodwillow
Summary: In New York, a small but well known cafe sits, workplace to some of our favorite Hamilton characters. Alexander Hamilton, new employee to the cafe, and John Laurens, long time barista, meet and instantly dislike each other. But, as tensions rise and unfortunate circumstances force them together, John and Alex are forced to get to know each other. What will happen to these boys?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello! This is my first-ever Hamilton fanfic and I'm really excited to write it because Hamilton is basically my life. I'll try to update frequently, even if my towering pile of homework gets in my way. The good news is that it's almost Christmas break! YAY! That means I have plenty of time to update my stories and keep writing. This story revolves around the characters in their point of view, but it's still in third person. I hope you like it, thanks for reading!**

 **Aaron**

Aaron sighed. He was standing behind the dark brown counter of the cafe, watching as his shift manager yelled at everyone except for him. It was nice, of course. It wasn't like he liked getting yelled at. It was just that it was getting a bit dull, listening to the same thing every day. There was always a complaint about how an employee was too mouthy or had an attitude that the customer didn't like.

The assistant manager, a girl named Angelica, who they all called Angie, was currently scolding John Laurens, the main barista of the shop. Of course, it was him who was getting yelled at. He was very talkative and him and his friends would get into all sorts of trouble outside of work. He would probably be in first place of a 'Who gets yelled at the most by Angelica contest' if it weren't for Charles Lee and his friend, Horatio Gates. They were both twice as obnoxious as John, and almost never got to work at the counter. That was fine with Aaron. He didn't like talking to them, and they didn't like talking to him.

John, who was listening to Angelica's rant about good behavior, crossed his arms in annoyance. "What was I supposed to tell her?" he asked Angelica, referring to one of the customers from yesterday, "It's not like I could change the laws of physic and keep her ice on the bottom. Ice floats to the top! You know that perfectly well, Angie."

The overworked assistant manager sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I know that, John, but you could have nicely told her that wasn't possible instead of being rude. We pride ourselves in good service, and if this keeps going on, there will be consequences."

John smirked, rolling his eyes. "What, are you going to make me take extra turns cleaning the bathroom? That wouldn't even be a punishment because there's nothing to clean. It's always pretty much spotless because we clean it all the time."

Angelica tapped her chin in thought, then mockingly smiled, blinking innocently. "What a great point, John. I guess I won't make you clean the bathroom. Instead, I'll take your daily free cup of coffee away for a week."

Aaron cringed. That was harsh. They were all broke and exhausted college students, and that free cup of coffee was basically a life saver to them all. It was remarkable, really, what a large dose of caffeine could do for them.

John's confidence instantly disappeared, and he paled. "Please, no, don't take my coffee, Angie."

She smiled in triumph, and patted his shoulder. "Then lose the attitude. I mean it."

"Yes ma'am," John mumbled.

Angelica beamed. "Great. Now, if you'd be so kind as to gather everyone, I have an important announcement to make." John turned and trudged to the back of the building, where most of the employees were eating their breakfast and drinking their coffee. It was a full work day because most of them didn't have any classes during the weekend. Of course, some of them had a few, but that was beside the point.

Turning around, Angelica noticed Aaron, who was still sitting behind the counter. She walked towards him and he instantly straightened up, nervous for what she would say to him. She just grinned at him and gave him two thumbs up. "Great job so far to you, Aaron. I still haven't received any complaints from customers about you yet." She gave him a bright smile and held up a hand for a high five. He returned the smile and high-fived her back. "Keep this up," she continued, "and you could be promoted."

"R-really?" he stuttered. "Promoted into what?"

She shrugged. "Probably a shift manager."

"That's awesome!" his eyes widened at the prospect of a promotion. A promotion meant higher pay and a higher position."

"Yep," she laughed at how shocked he was, and flipped her dark curls over her shoulder. "Just keep doing whatever you're doing, and I have a feeling you'll move up very soon."

"Well, you know me. Talk less, smile more and all that."

Angelica was about to reply when John and all the other employees gathered into the room to hear what she her announcement was.

Marquis de Lafayette, one of John's best friends, sat himself on the top of a table, still sipping his drink. "So," he began, "what is the big a-an" he struggled with his English for a moment and thought it out carefully. "Ah, right. What is the big announcement?"

Quiet snickers from the back made Lafayette duck his head in embarrassment. He had always been a little sensitive about how he struggled with English a bit, but he still tried his hardest. John apparently had heard the laughing, and he whipped around so quickly that it looked painful, looking directly at Charles and Horatio. Aaron sighed. Of course, it was those two. They were jerks and idiots, so it wasn't really surprising that the laughter came from them.

John stared Lee down with rage in his eyes. He took a few steps towards Lee, putting as pleasant an expression as he could on his face. "Is there something you were laughing about, Lee?" He said each word slowly and dangerously, and Aaron could tell that Lee was going to get it if he didn't shut up and apologize.

Lee's eyes glinted with malice and hatred as he looked up at John. "That's none of your business, Laurens." He looked at his friend and gave him a look as if to say, 'Can you believe this guy?'.

John took another step forward, clenching his fists. "I don't like your attitude, Lee," he spat.

Angelica, who was watching this exchange, had apparently decided that it was time to intervene before someone got hurt. "John!" she barked. "Charles! Both of you quit it and pay attention!" Both boys looked over and lowered their eyes, mumbling apologies.

Aaron had to suppress a small smile. Almost no one could control these two boys, but, somehow, Angelica could. She was just so confident and powerful that anyone would listen. Aaron personally was terrified of her, and would do whatever she told him to.

"So," she started, "The announcement is that we are getting a new employee!"

Everyone groaned, including Aaron.

Angelica looked incredulous. "What was that for? A new employee is a good thing!"

It was silent for a moment, then Horatio Gates finally spoke up. "It isn't really a good thing. You see, that may mean less work for us, but that also means _less work for us._ We're all broke college students. We can't afford to lose any chances to earn money." All of the others nodded their heads, for once agreeing with what Gates said.

"Don't be ridiculous," Angelica snapped. "You won't lose any chances to earn money. You know how we're stretched pretty thin. There's only six of us! One more won't hurt. Besides, I know most of you like your stations, and a newbie doesn't even know how to do some of the jobs, and he'll most likely not pick it up too quickly."

"So, the new employee is a he?" Lee asked loudly. "We'll have to make friends with him before he falls into the hand of these pricks." He gestured over to John and Lafayette, who glared at him.

" _Tais-toi,_ Lee," sighed Lafayette. "Nobody wants to listen to you right now." John nodded in agreement.

Angelica sighed. "I don't get paid enough for this," she muttered. "Anyways, you'll have to be particularly patient and understanding with this one. He's an immigrant from the Caribbean. I don't know how well he speaks English, and he's probably frightened to be in a new country. I beg of you, please be kind to him. If any of you make fun of him for his English, there will be consequences. Got it?"

All five of the boys nodded. "When do we get to meet him?" asked John.

Angelica looked at the clock, and then down at the printed-out email. "It just says he's arriving today, but I'm guessing he'll be here soon, probably in the next hour or so."

The boys sighed in disappointment. "Well," Aaron said quietly, "I guess we should get to work."

Angelica smiled in approval. "You're absolutely right, Aaron. We open in forty-five minutes, people! Get to work!"

The employees grumbled but quickly got to their stations. John took his usual place behind the counter beside Aaron and began to prepare all the ingredients for the coffee. Aaron began setting up the cash register, sorting out the money they had earned before into neat piles. Charles and Angelica made their way to the back of the shop where they started to put muffins and other assorted baked goods into the ovens. Lafayette and Horatio began wiping off tables and sorting the menus in the wooden slot by the entrance, making sure that the place was clean and orderly.

That was the normal routine here, every person did a certain thing. Of course, the pairings were the way they were for a reason. In each group there was one more responsible person to look after the less responsible (and slightly psychotic) person. Though Lafayette was normally far from responsible, he took his job seriously and that was enough for Angelica, who placed him with Gates (who was more manageable than Lee or Laurens). Aaron liked their little routine, and had no clue how much the new guy would mess it up when he arrived. Whoever he was, he had better not mess up his chances of being promoted.

A knock on the front glass doors startled Aaron out of his bitter thoughts, and he turned to Laurens. "Do you think that's him?" he asked breathlessly.

Laurens smiled widely, excited to meet the new worker. "I think so. Go open the door. I'll get Angie." He excitedly rushed to the back where Lee and Angelica were preparing the baked goods, and Aaron could hear him shouting to Angelica, "He's here! I think he's here!"

Aaron chuckled and made his way to the front doors, grabbing the keys, and peering out the glass. On the other side, dark brown eyes met his and Aaron opened the door to greet the newcomer. "Hello," he said politely, "are you the new employee here?"

The man nodded confidently, his short brown ponytail bouncing up and down. "I am. My name is Alexander Hamilton." He stuck out his hand and Aaron, taken aback at the level of confidence, slowly grabbed it and shook it. He quickly released his hand and looked off to the side, where Angelica and the rest of the shop were making their way to the door.

Alexander looked in the same direction, and then back at Aaron. "Are you in charge here? I was told I would be meeting with an Angelica, and I'm guessing that's not your name."

Aaron chuckled. "No. I wish." He pointed in Angelica's direction, and she quickly hurried forward, facing Hamilton.

"Angelica Schuyler." She said, sticking out her hand and smiling kindly, "I'm the assistant manager, it's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you. My name is Alexander Hamilton," he said, in that same, self-assured voice. He shook her hand firmly, and smiled back, though it looked a little forced.

Angelica, clearly startled at how confident he was, pulled back and raised an eyebrow. "That's interesting."

"What's interesting?" he asked defensively, crossing his arms.

"I was told you didn't speak fluent English." She looked him up and down and then back at her clipboard. "Do you?"

Hamilton nodded, still in a defensive position. "Yes, as well as French and Spanish, and a little bit of Mandarin Chinese."

Angelica dipped her head and smiled, looking amused. "Well then, Mr. Hamilton, let's get you started. These are all of my co-workers. You've obviously met Aaron already." She began pointing to the others, introducing them. "This is Charles Lee…" she began, getting cut off by Lee who stepped forward and stuck out his hand.

"The one and only," he said arrogantly. Aaron rolled his eyes and made a face, which made the newcomer smile.

Hamilton reluctantly shook Lee's hand, who obviously thought the genuine smile was directed at him. "Uh, nice to meet you."

Lee shrugged and smirked, strolling back to the group. "I know," he said.

Angelica sighed before continuing. "This is Horatio Gates," she said, directing Hamilton's gaze to Lee's slightly less awful best friend. He stepped forward and shook Hamilton's hand, and then walked back to Lee, standing beside him. "And this is Lafayette." She pointed at the Frenchman, who had been whispering with Laurens. He looked up and smiled brightly, stepping forward to clasp Alexander's hand with both of his, shaking it up and down enthusiastically.

"Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette at your service!" He exclaimed proudly. "You can call me Lafayette, though. That's what everyone else does." He stepped back, chuckling at the slightly flustered Alexander, who stumbled back, surprised by the very warm (and loud) welcome.

"And finally, this is John Laurens," she said, pointing at John.

 **A/N: Well, that was unexpected. I never thought I'd start on Aaron, but it's not very typical, and I don't love clichés. Of course, it's hard to avoid them, so of course there will be some in this story. I'm not sure if you caught it in the summary, but this IS a Lams story. Expect some Lams! *Squeals in delight* Anyways, thanks for reading my first chapter. I'm already hard at work on the second, and Alexander and John will most definitely interact, just not in the way you expect.**

 **Oh, something I almost forgot to mention. Horatio Gates is not an original character. He was historically a friend of Charles Lee, so I put him in there. Everyone needs a friend, right?**

 **Anyways, thanks again for reading! Remember to leave reviews! I'm always open to suggestions and constructive criticism. See ya!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yay, another chapter! This one was pretty fun to write, especially because I got to introduce new characters. Anyway, enjoy!**

 **John**

John watched as the newly introduced Alexander Hamilton smiled as he shook hands with Charles Lee. He hadn't seen the face Aaron made, and was under the impression that Hamilton genuinely liked Lee. He rolled his eyes, and whispered to Lafayette.

"I don't know about this new guy, Laf. He seems to like Lee, and any guy who likes Lee is a prick."

Lafayette glanced uncertainly back at Hamilton, who had drawn back his hand and placed it uneasily onto the strap of his worn-out backpack, and then back at John. "Oh, _mon ami_ , do not be so worried. At least give him a chance." He perked up when he heard Angelica say his name, and stepped forward, warmly greeting the man, who looked slightly intimidated.

 _'_ _Good'._ Thought John. ' _If he turns out to be a complete troll we have a way to keep him from acting like one.'_ He looked back at Hamilton, who stumbled back a little from the greeting. ' _Hopefully_ ,' he added as an afterthought. He was lost in thought. He could always use a new friend, but…

"And finally," Angelica's voice pulled John back to reality, "this is John Laurens," she said, pointing at him. John looked up at Hamilton, stepping forward nervously. He cursed himself as he stumbled over his feet a little, almost falling face first into the hardwood floors.

 _'_ _Damn it!'_ he thought, steadying himself. _'Way to make a fool of yourself in front of the new guy.'_ John straightened up and looked at Hamilton, whose mouth was curled upwards in a tiny smirk. John instantly disliked him. _'Oh,'_ he thought viciously, _'So he thinks that was funny.'_ John huffed and quickly grabbed Hamilton's hand, shaking it up and down curtly before releasing it as soon as possible. He turned away without a second glance, rejoining Lafayette and crossing his arms in annoyance.

Lafayette just chuckled and clapped a hand on John's shoulder. "Ah, _mon etrange ami._ What was that?"

John scowled and crossed his arms. "I tripped, and he thought it was funny. Did you see his little smirk?"

"Do not take it too harshly, John," replied Lafayette. "I thought is was funny"

John glowered at him. "Well you're my friend. You're allowed to think that." He looked back at where the group had been standing. "Hey," he looked around, "where did everyone go?"

It turned out that Angelica was taking Alexander on a tour, and the rest of the group, excluding Lafayette and John, had joined them. They were currently in the kitchens, and Angelica was explaining how the system worked. When they finished, they made their way back to the front counter where Alexander would learn how to operate the cash register and how they made his drinks. She had Aaron show him how to use the machine, and he smiled pleasantly before launching into a boring explanation of how it worked. John instantly zoned out.

"John here is our barista. He's pretty experienced, so I think he'll be more than adequate demonstrating how to make a drink." She held her hand out proudly to John, who was still spaced out. "John?" she asked, shaking his shoulder gently.

He snapped out of his little daze and smiled at her apologetically. "Sorry. What was I supposed to do again?"

"Show Alexander how to make a drink, yeah?" Angelica sighed.

He nodded sheepishly and went behind the counter. "Which one?" he asked.

"Whatever you want." Angelica shrugged.

"Okay…" He thought for a moment then started pulling out ingredients for a Mocha Latte. He skillfully made the drink, his hands expertly mixing and measuring. Alexander watched with a sort of fascination and observed the process very carefully.

Once John was done, Angelica stepped forward. "Good job, John." He grinned in response. "Now," she said, turning to Hamilton, "would you like to try?"

He looked thoughtfully at the newly-made drink, and nodded. "It wouldn't hurt. Do I just…?"

Angelica smiled encouragingly. "You can go join John behind the counter. Don't worry, he won't bite." Alexander looked like he wasn't so sure of that, given John's hostile behavior earlier. John did feel a little bad. He was probably very nervous, and anyone would have laughed at John's screw up. He was still annoyed, but decided to give him a second chance.

The new employee cautiously made his way around to the back of the counter. He stood beside John and looked unsure of what to do. John simply handed him the recipe for the drink he had made a few minutes ago, and pointed to the ingredients. "You can just… the ingredients are already out, so just… try your hardest." Alexander nodded, and studied the recipe for about a minute before handing it back to John. John, confused, held out the paper towards Alexander again. "I think you're going to need this."

Alexander smirked confidently. "I'll be fine," he replied. Everyone in the group looked taken-aback and skeptical. Hamilton grinned at their expressions, and got to work. Everyone stared as he made the drink, watching as he put in all the right ingredients in the right order and measured everything out perfectly. Within just a few minutes, the drink was complete and looked perfect. John felt a pang of jealousy as he noted the neat and artistic swirl of the whipped cream on top and impeccably placed chocolate drizzle. Everyone looked impressed, and Angelica stepped forward to grab the drink.

"May I?" she asked, reaching for the mug. "I need to taste test it, so we know you did it right."

Alexander looked confused. "Of course. You don't have to ask me."

Angelica looked pleased at his response, and took a sip of the Latte. John could've sworn that the coffee barely even touched her tongue, but her eyes widened, and her expression was shocked. "This is… this is delicious. How?"

Alexander shrugged again, and smiled sheepishly. "I guess I'm a bit of a perfectionist."

Lee, much to John's annoyance, held out his hand and demanded Angelica to let him try the drink. "I want to taste it," he whined. Angelica scowled at him and handed him the cup. He took a small sip and he narrowed his eyes. "What the… how did you do that?!" For the first time in the history of ever, it seemed that Lee had gained a tiny shred of respect for someone. "How did you remember all of the ingredients?" he demanded.

Alexander looked at him, and plainly said, "I have a photographic memory." He sat there, looking confused as everyone stared at him. "What?"

"Dude," Horatio started, "You're like, amazing." The cup had ended up in his hands after being passed around and tested by everyone but John and Alex, and he had taken a large gulp after hearing the positive remarks about the drink. He passed the drink back to Alex, who looked at it uncertainly. He decided not to try it and set it down on the counter, while everyone looked expectantly at John.

"Why are you people looking at me like that?" he asked.

"Try it, _mon ami_ ," advised Lafayette. "You will like it." Everyone else bobbed their heads in agreement, excluding Alex, who just stared at the ground, lost in thought.

After some coaxing, John picked up the drink. "Fine," he spat. "But this poisons me, and I die, it's your guys' fault."

Angelica snorted. "Well, if it is, then we'll all die with you." John sighed in defeat and took a cautious sip of the coffee.

It was great. He didn't want to admit it, but the guy was good. Too good. He set the mug down on the counter and looked at Alexander. "Yeah, it's… it's okay," he mumbled.

Lafayette's jaw dropped at his friend's attitude. "Okay? _Mon ami_ , this coffee is wonderful! It could even rival your skills."

John narrowed his eyes at the betrayal. "Bastard," he grumbled at his friend. He looked to the side where Alexander was standing, and saw a small smirk that was formed on his lips. ' _Asshat,'_ he thought. Then he internally groaned. _'Why am I so angry over a well-made cup of coffee? It was probably just beginners luck anyways.'_ he mentally shook himself and forced his face to go back to a neutral expression. "Good… uh… good coffee, Hamilton. Maybe soon you'll become a barista." He forced himself to look at Hamilton, whose smirk was gone, though his eyes were sparkling with amusement.

"Thanks," he replied casually. "But for now, I'm just a bus-boy. I'll be cleaning tables and sweeping floors and all that."

John opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a loud beeping. Everyone turned to stare at Angelica, who shut off the noisy timer on her phone. "It's opening time. Everyone get to your stations! Alex, you come with me."

The group dissipated as the employees made their way to their regular stations. Lafayette went to the front door and flipped the sign, so it read 'open' and then fastened his black waist apron, dropping his pencil and his paper pad into the front pockets. Gates did the same, and combed his fingers through his hair, eager to impress any new girls that came in the coffee shop. It was around 8:20 AM when the first few customers streamed in, Lafayette and Gates welcoming them and leading them to their tables and taking their orders.

John dutifully began making the drinks, feeling a little better about himself when he spotted Alexander, who was mopping a dirty spot on the floor. He frowned when he saw the spot wouldn't come off with the mop, and grabbed the cleaning brush, getting down on his hands and knees and vigorously scrubbing the spot. John felt some satisfaction at this, and happily went back to making drinks. This happiness was short-lived though, when he saw a tall man wearing a magenta button-up shirt, cockily striding through the entrance with a shorter man following him timidly.

"Whassup, bitches?" he called. "Jefferson in the house!" All the staff and the customers rolled their eyes, unbeknownst to Jefferson. He just smirked and approached Lafayette, as usual. Thomas Jefferson, though he claimed he hated the place, came to the small Café every day and acted all high and mighty, just because his father was a senator, pretending that he was better than everyone. James Madison, his best friend, was less insolent, but still followed Jefferson everywhere and never stopped him from torturing the poor, overworked staff.

"Lafayette! You know my usual table. Let's go. Chop, chop!" he clapped his hands together twice and smirked at Lafayette. Lafayette forced a smile and cleared his throat.

"Of course, sir. This way, if you please." Jefferson leisurely strolled after Lafayette, but stopped abruptly, lowering his gaze to the floor. Hamilton was by one of the empty booths, still scrubbing the mark on the floor. Jefferson stared at him and took in his ratty clothes and messy ponytail, then smiled maliciously.

"Excuse me," he said with fake politeness, "but I need to step around you."

Hamilton paused and glanced up at Jefferson, raising his eyebrows. "Well," he responded, "I'm not stopping you." He went back to cleaning the floor. Jefferson's smile just grew wider.

"Ooooh, you've got a bit of an attitude. Let's try again. How about you move so I can get to my booth?"

Hamilton glared up at him. "Like I said before, I'm not in your way, therefore, I'm not stopping you."

Jefferson snickered. "Whatever you say." He looked down at the bucket of water on the floor by Hamilton and, without a moments hesitation, kicked it forcefully at the man on the floor. The water splashed all over Alexander, soaking his hair and his clothes. He sputtered in indignation (and to get the water out of his mouth) and brushed the wet strands of hair out of his face. Jefferson finally moved and walked to his table with Madison, sitting down and smiling viciously.

Hamilton stood up and stared down at his wet clothes, looking around helplessly. John felt a little bad Alexander and decided to help him. He reluctantly put down the ingredients he was holding. However, Lafayette was already leading him towards the back, and John sighed in relief. He really did not want to talk to Hamilton, seeing as he was kind of a prick. Sure, he was nowhere near as bad as Jefferson, but still, John didn't really like him.

"Hey! Can someone serve us over here?" speak of the devil. Jefferson was causing a commotion, demanding that someone come over to take his order. Gates had his hands full, though, and Lafayette was somewhere in the back, helping Alexander.

Then, as if by some miracle, Angelica rushed out, tying Lafayette's waist apron around her own waist. She hurried to Jefferson's table and pulled out the notepad. "Can I take your order, sir?" She forced a smile and prepared to write.

"Ah, Angelica Schuyler, "Jefferson purred. "How wonderful to see you again." He looked down at his menu and began to order. John looked helplessly on as he watched Angelica endure the man's flirtatious advances, even though she despised him.

Guys like Jefferson? They could do whatever they wanted, and John was sick of it. They all were.

 **A/N: WooOWww Jefferson. REEEEAAL mature of you. Also, so much drama over a cup of coffee. OOOH… I guess Hammy's just really great at making coffee, a skill many people wish they had, I think. Also, John's scared of losing his position to Alex. Don't worry though. It will all work out. Probably.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Yay, a new chapter! In this one, more characters will be introduced/mentioned. Anyways, I don't want to keep you from reading! Enjoy!**

 **Alexander**

As soon as Alexander saw the man's foot move, he knew he was fucked.

 _'Shit'_ He thought as the water splashed over him. In a matter of seconds, he had gone from perfectly dry to dripping wet. He spit out the disgusting water that he had used for cleaning the floor literally five seconds ago, and tried not to gag at the taste it left in his mouth. His irrational and angry side screamed at him to stand up and beat the guy up, but his more logical side begged him not to. After all, he didn't want to lose his new job. He needed money for food and a place to sleep. Right now he was sleeping on a bench, and he usually felt pretty bad about himself when people gave him dirty looks or looks of pity. One of the things he hated most in the world was pity, especially when it was directed at him.

So, to avoid getting too many pitying stares from customers, Alex stood up and flicked the water off his hands as if nothing happened. His clothes were ruined, and it would be hard to find a place to clean them that he could afford. How many quarters did he have again? It didn't matter. He just had find a way out of the room. Lafayette, being the kind soul that he was, led Alex to the kitchen in the back to help him dry off.

Lafayette turned around and smiled at Alex warmly. "I will only take a moment. I have to go retrieve towels and talk to Angie." Angelica turned around when she heard her name, her eyes widening when they fell on Alex. She frowned and walked over to the two men.

"What happened to Alexander?" she yelped. Lee, who noticed Angelica had walked away, glanced up from the muffin batter he was mixing and stared at Alex. He burst out in laughter.

"What the hell," he wheezed, "happened to you?" He continued to guffaw obnoxiously, stopping only when he noticed the dirty looks he was receiving from Alexander, Angelica, and Lafayette.

"Jefferson," Lafayette explained. Apparently, that was all he had to say, because Angelica and Charles nodded in complete understanding.

"Okay," sighed Angelica, "I'll go out and handle Jefferson. You," she pointed at Lafayette, "can help Alexander, and you," she pointed at Lee, "can keep baking." Lee grumbled and went back to work, while Lafayette eyed Angelica uncertainly.

"Are you sure, Angie? I do not like it when Jefferson talks to you. He is a… how you say…a creep? He looks at you in way that makes me uncomfortable, and concerned for your wellbeing."

' _And boys, apparently,'_ thought Alex. _'The way he acts towards that little guy doesn't seem platonic to me. Maybe he just flirts with everyone.'_

"You know," Lee cut in, "we could just kick him out."

Angelica shook her head. "No. That's not an option. We'd be ruined.

Everyone went quiet in agreement, except for Alexander. "Why? How is he relevant at all to the success of this café?" he demanded. "He's just some simpleton who doesn't deserve your attention."

Angelica shook her head again. "Thomas Jefferson is the son of one of New York's senators. One bad word from him, and this whole café is doomed. We'd all be unemployed, and maybe even our parents or other family members would lose their jobs. I can't do that to my father or to my sisters."

Alex nodded in understanding, but was still frustrated. "So, you… you're just going to go out and take his order?"

"Pretty much," she admitted. "I'm sorry I can't do more for you, Alexander."

Alex waved his hand as casually as he could. "It's just water. It isn't a big deal, you don't need to worry about me."

"Are you sure?" she insisted. "We can at least let you go home or wherever you're staying to get a change of clothes. Then you can come back."

"Um, maybe…" Alex mumbled. He couldn't let them find out that he didn't really have a change of clothes that were even remotely presentable.

He was saved from having to give her a response, Jefferson's shouts were loud enough that they reached the kitchen, and he was demanding to be served. Angelica rolled her eyes.

"Lafayette, give me your apron." She slipped off her own apron, which was covered in flour, and Lafayette handed her his. "Thank you."

"Good luck, _ma forte amie._ Show him who is the boss."

Angelica nodded and took a deep breath, plastering on a fake smile and walking out of the kitchens. As soon as she was gone, Lafayette left to retrieve some towels for Alexander, who was still dripping wet. Alex pulled out his ponytail and wrung his hair out.

"Well, that was a fun experience," he huffed.

"At least you get to go home for a while," Lee snorted. "Angie is usually never that lenient, but she feels _sorry_ for you."

"Sorry? Why would she feel sorry for me?" Alex hissed. "It's just water. It's not like I was shot or anything."

Lee shrugged, but had a malevolent gleam in his eyes. "Ask her. I don't know what goes on in that girl's mind." He turned back around to work on his muffins, but Alexander wasn't done with him.

"What do you mean? Why does she feel sorry for me?" He grabbed Lee's shoulder and turned him around violently. He expected Lee to look angry or maybe even scared, but he was wrong. A lazy smirk was on Lee's face, like he knew exactly how Alex would react.

"Well…" he drawled, "considering your _background_ and all… she just doesn't know how well you can handle life in America. Folks here treat people like you like dirt."

"What?" Alexander exclaimed. "I can handle myself perfectly well, thank you very much!"

"What are you shouting about?" Lafayette had walked in with a pile of clean towels in his arm, and eyed Alex with concern.

"I'm just telling poor Alex here how much Angie pities him." Lee snickered.

"Do not be an idiot, Lee. Keep baking." Lee sneered but walked towards the oven. Lafayette continued as he handed Alex a towel. "Angie does not pity you, Alexander. In fact, she feels quite the opposite. She admires you. You are very confident and very gifted, and she knows that," he jerked his head in the direction of Lee. "Do not let that _stupide menteur_ to say things that are not true to you," he spat.

Alexander nodded, still doubtful. He dried off his face and his hair as best he could, but looked down at his clothes in disgust. "There's no way this is going to be dry fast enough, I'm just going to have to keep working in these clothes. I'll just..." he paused and ran a hand through his hair, which was now out of its ponytail, in frustration, "I'll just try to make myself look as presentable as I can."

"Do not be ridiculous, _mon ami_. Angie said you could go home and change, and I advise that you do." Lafayette smiled mischievously and winked at Alex. "If you happen to take a long time to change, I'm sure she wouldn't be too angry."

Alex grinned at the Frenchman's playful attitude, but it quickly faded. "I don't think so. I can just stay here." Lafayette looked at him in concern, but nodded.

"If that is what you want. I cannot guarantee that you will be comfortable, though."

Alex smiled warily. "I can handle a little discomfort, don't worry. There are worse things…" he faded off and involuntarily shivered, but kept the smile on his face, hoping it didn't look too forced.

Lafayette tilted his head to the side and stared at the Caribbean man with intrigue. "Huh," was all he said as he crossed his arms.

"What?" Alexander asked hesitantly. _'Please don't let him find out that I'm basically homeless,'_ he silently prayed.

"Do you have any friends around here, Alexander? Have you ever gone exploring around this part of New York?"

Alexander breathed a quiet sigh of relief and looked down. "I…" he flushed in embarrassment, "I don't really have any friends," he admitted quietly. "Also, I haven't explored much of New York, including this part. I haven't been here very long."

Lafayette's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? We are in the greatest city in the world, _mon ami_! You must come with me and John after work to walk around the square! Some of our friends work around here, including Herc and the younger Schuyler sisters! I bet they would all love to meet you."

Alex chuckled at the man's enthusiasm. "I would like to, but I don't think John likes me all that much. I don't think anyone here likes me that much, I guess excluding you and Angelica."

"Angie," corrected Lafayette.

"Angie then. Still, I would hate to ruin your time off of work."

"Nonsense! I insist you come. John is a very opinionated person, but once he gets to know you, I am confident that he will want to be your best friend!"

Alexander considered the options. If he went, he might make some friends. The worst-case scenario would be if they all hated him, and he had to leave. That wasn't too bad. He looked at Lafayette and shrugged. "If you insist."

The Frenchman cheered excitedly and beamed at Alex. "I do! Now, let's get back to work before Angie yells at us for being lazy." Alex grinned back and nodded, pulling his hair back into a neat ponytail.

"Good idea."

It was three o'clock in the afternoon and the café had closed for the day. It was currently summer, which meant the café was open from eight o'clock in the morning to three in the afternoon. The schedule was different during the school year because basically all the employees were college students who had to go to their classes and do all their homework. That wasn't important though. It was still August, and all students still had time to enjoy their summer before school started again.

The employees were finishing cleaning up for the day, wiping down the counters for a final time and counting the profits for the day. Alexander was mopping the already spotless floors, which was all thanks to himself. He had cleaned basically any surface he could find all day, and he had gone over each of those surfaces multiple times. What could he say? He was a perfectionist and an efficient worker. He stared down at the clean tiles, and could almost see his reflection in them.

 _'_ _That's probably clean enough,'_ he thought to himself. ' _Probably.'_

Angelica pulled him out of his thoughts as she shouted for everyone to gather in the dining area. "Good job today, guys. We made a higher profit than usual today. Also," she looked around, impressed, "I've never seen the place look cleaner! Well done!"

Lafayette pointed at Alex. "It was all him, Angie. He must have cleaned every surface three times over." Alexander's cheeks heated a little, but smiled at the praise.

"It was nothing," he mumbled. "I was just doing my job, that's all." Out of the corner of his eye, Alex could see Lee, Gates, and Laurens all roll their eyes. Angelica noticed and stared them down.

"You could all learn a thing or two from Alexander. I can't remember the last time I saw any of you working that hard." She glared pointedly at the three and then turned to Alexander with a grin. "Well done, Alexander." Alexander smiled back awkwardly and gave her a thumbs-up. Angelica giggled and looked around at the rest of them. She thought for a moment and then let out a yelp of panic.

Everyone flinched a bit, then stared at the woman in concern. "What's wrong, Angie?" asked John.

"I totally forgot," she moaned. "The boss is coming to visit us today! He wanted to meet Alexander!"

Alex's eyes widened in surprise. "He… he wanted to meet me?" he stuttered.

"Well, yeah," grunted Horatio, "He comes to meet all the new employees." Everyone nodded.

"Okay, everybody. We all have to stay here for a bit longer. I don't want to keep you all very long after work hours, so hopefully he gets here soon. Try to look presentable," she instructed, "and work on putting up the rest of the chairs."

All the employees did as they were told, excluding John and Lafayette. The two friends stood in the corner, whispering to each other and shooting covert glances at Alex.

 _'_ _What are they talking about?'_ wondered Alexander. _'Hopefully not about me.'_ He sighed warily and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. It had been an exhausting day, and he was still damp from the incident that occurred earlier.

Alexander stood there and had almost drifted off until he heard the jingle of the bell at the front door. His eyes flew open and he straightened up. He was meeting the boss, and he had to look as professional as possible. A man's voice floated through the entrance to the dining room. "Wow. When did this place get so clean?" A tall man in a blue sweater walked into the café with Angelica. He looked around, impressed at how spotless everything was.

"Well," Angelica said proudly, "since we got Alexander."

"Alexander? That's the new employee, right?" the man looked around at all the employees who had ran up to enthusiastically greet him. Only Alexander had hung back, still standing straight as a rod. The boss looked around until his eyes fell on Alex. He looked back at Angelica, who nodded, then approached Alex and smiled at him warmly, sticking out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Alexander. My name is George."

Lee trailed behind him, looking at Alexander threateningly behind George's back. "But we call him Mr. Washington," he said pleasantly.

Alexander shook Washington's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

Washington raised an eyebrow. "You speak fluent English?"

Alexander stifled a huff of annoyance and forced a smile. "Yes sir. I'm multilingual."

"How wonderful," Washington praised. "And you're the one who cleaned everything?"

Lafayette chimed in before Alex could speak, "He did, Mr. Washington. He did pretty much all of the cleaning today." Washington nodded, impressed, then grinned at Alex before strolling over to Angelica for a report.

Snippets of their conversation floated over to Lafayette and Alex.

"… speaks how many…?" _(Washington)_

"… not sure…" _(Angelica)_

"…from a bad background…" _(Washington)_

"…terrible…he's remarkable…never seen it before…" _(Angelica)_

"…cleaning…what else…? _(Washington)_

"…made perfect… first time…" _(Angelica)_

Alex turned away. Were they talking about him? It didn't matter anyways.

After about ten minutes, the employees were all dismissed. Washington checked his watch and glanced at Alexander, who was looking nervously at him. He walked up and smiled down at the immigrant. "Good work, Son. You're headed in the right direction, and I can tell you're going places. Be prepared to move up very soon, because it's a very high possibility that you will if you keep up the excellent work." He walked out of the door, leaving Alex speechless. His mouth hung open, and was only pulled out of his daze when Lafayette called his name.

"Alexander! Let's go! It is time for you to meet all of our friends." Lafayette cheerily beckoned for Alexander to join him and John, and Alex grabbed his backpack and bounded up to the two other men.

"Are you sure you're okay with me tagging along?" Alex asked uncertainly. "People don't generally tend to like me that much, so you can always just let me know if you want me to leave."

Lafayette and John both gave him weird looks, and he immediately shut up. _'Why did I say that? I'm such an idiot!'_ He looked down and wrung his hands nervously. "Sorry," he said meekly. _'Why am I so scared of what they think of me?'_ He glanced up at John, who was looking at him with an expression on his face that Alex was unable to read. They stood in silence.

"Don't be sorry, _mon ami_!" Lafayette broke the tension and cheerfully opened the door for the others. "Of course we want you to come!" He shot a look at John, who nodded hesitantly, still looking at Alexander with the same unreadable expression.

"Okay," breathed Alexander thankfully.

John smiled at Lafayette and pointed the way. "Let's go then!" he said enthusiastically. The three men stepped outside, soaking up the warm sun that shined on their backs and heads.

Alexander sighed in relief. Things were looking up. He already had a friend, and would soon get the opportunity to make more, his clothes would be completely dry in no time thanks to the sun, and Mr. Washington was impressed with his skills. Maybe he would be able to have a good life in New York after all.

 **A/N: I'm not crying, you are! *wipes away tears* I know the chapter didn't seem too emotional, it's just… poor Alex! He's living on a bench and is scared everyone hates him. Okay, I know that he doesn't generally care what people think of him, but I made it so that he's really vulnerable right now. After all, he's still transitioning to life in America. Anyways, sorry that chapter took so long! It's a little bit longer than my other ones, almost 3000 words, so…. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed that chapter! Don't forget to review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello! I'm so sorry that took forever. I hate to make excuses, but it was the end of the term, and I had severe writers block, so… Also, I am a master procrastinator, so yeah. Anyways, this chapter is… a chapter? Prepare for some minor Mulette! YEEEEEE!**

 **Well then… sorry about that, enjoy!**

 **Oh, and before I start, I'd just like to thank everyone for their kind reviews. It really makes my day!**

 **Lafayette**

Lafayette sighed happily. Work was finally over, the sun was shining, and he got to go and visit all of his friends and introduce them to Alexander.

 _'Speaking of which...'_ Lafayette glanced at the shorter man, who was trailing nervously behind John and himself. There was something peculiar about Alexander. He was truly a mystery, one that Lafayette wanted to solve. He didn't want to brag, but he was actually very good at reading most people and, within minutes of meeting him, Lafayette could tell Alexander was different. The only problem was, the man was extremely hard to read compared to other people. He hid his emotions well and suppressed his facial expressions. It was all very frustrating.

Of course, there were some things that were obvious about Alexander, which Lafayette had shared with John. He was self-conscious, or at least was scared that people didn't like him and tried not to upset people... something like that. He was smart, scarily smart, and could pick up new skills easily. He was obviously poor, or else very unfashionable, judging by his ratty clothes and beat-up sneakers.

And the last observation had brought Lafayette to a whole new set of questions that he was burning to ask. Where did he live? It was a creepy question, but Lafayette couldn't help but wonder if Alexander had a warm place to sleep, eat, etc. He had seemed very reluctant to go home and change, and Lafayette could only assume that he didn't have any presentable clothes, or he didn't even have a home. After all, he did carry his backpack everywhere. Were all his possessions inside it?

Lafayette thought and thought, his face screwed up in concentration. Or he guessed it was, because John tapped him on the shoulder and said,

"Hello... Earth to Laf..." John waved his hand in front of the Frenchman's face. "You okay, dude?"

"Huh?" Lafayette snapped back to reality. "Oh, yes. Sorry, I must have..." he trailed off and looked at his friend for help.

"Zoned out?" finished John.

" _Oui_." He didn't make an effort to elaborate, causing John to raise an eyebrow but change the subject.

"So, who are we going to see first. Hercules?"

Lafayette beamed. "Of course, _mon ami_! He has to be the first to meet Alexander!" John frowned slightly at the mention of Alexander's name, and Lafayette shot him a look.

Lowering his voice, he leaned in towards John. "What is your problem with him? He did nothing to you," he whispered.

"Sorry, Laf. I'm just still warming up to him," John breathed back defensively. "He's kind of a show off, don't you think?"

Lafayette rolled his eyes dramatically at his friend. "In what way is he a show off?"

"Oh, c'mon. You saw him make that coffee," John argued. "Did you see how smug he looked afterward?" he hissed quietly. "Also, he cleaned the place to perfection, which is generally a good thing unless you're doing it to show everyone how much better you are than them."

"That is enough." Lafayette abruptly stopped walking and whipped around to face his friend. "You are being very rude," he said firmly. He had stopped whispering when he said this.

John's mouth fell open. "I can't believe you! You're taking his side and not mine?" He asked, raising his voice, and gesturing in Alexander's direction, who looked slightly frightened.

"Calm down, _mon ami_. It is not about taking sides, it is about 'ow you are being unfair to 'im. You 'ave barely even spoken to 'im." Lafayette growled in irritation at himself. He always missed the h's when he got frustrated or angry, and he hated it.

"You know what? I'm walking ahead. Have fun with your _new_ best friend." And with that, he turned around and left in the direction they were originally heading.

Lafayette screeched after him in frustration. "You are acting like a child!" John just ignored him. He huffed angrily and turned back to Alexander. "I am sorry about that, Alexander. He is being very rude to you, so I apologize for him."

Alexander waved his hand dismissively in an attempt to be casual. "It's alright," he said, putting his hand back onto his backpack strap, "not everyone likes me that much. It's nothing new."

"It is not alright, Alexander! Do not worry, though. I will make him see sense," he declared.

Alexander's mouth twitched up in a small smile. "Well, thank you," he looked down and paused in thought, shifting his weight from one foot to another. After a moment, he looked back up. "You can call me Alex if you want," he mumbled. Lafayette opened his mouth and closed it again in surprise. He stood there for a moment, not knowing exactly what to say.

 _'_ _Say something!'_ he thought. Alexander was looking at him nervously, as if he thought Lafayette would think he was strange or something. Lafayette felt like an idiot, but decided to play it off as if it were nothing. "Of course!" he beamed. "I shall call you Alex, then." The tension in Alex's face disappeared, and he nodded slowly.

"Great," he responded. "So, where are we headed?"

" _Non, mon ami_. I am not done."

"You're not?" asked Alex.

Lafayette shook his head. "I would just like you to know that you can call me Laf. That is what all of my friends call me."

Alex blinked in shock. "Your-your friends?" he stuttered.

Lafayette chuckled. "Do not be so surprised, _mon ami_."

"Sorry," He wrung his hands together and shrugged. "I guess I'm not used to having friends, or used to people wanting to be my friends, for that matter."

"Well, would you be fine with it?" asked Lafayette. "I would be glad to be your friend."

Alexander's face broke into the first sincere smile Lafayette had ever seen from him since he met the man. "Well, yeah. I would definitely be fine with that."

Lafayette, who was delighted, chirped, " _Merveilleux_! Now, we must go see Hercules! He can help us make John see sense."

Alex nodded, biting his lip nervously. "Hopefully he won't hate me too," he laughed awkwardly. "Well," he said, gesturing vaguely in the direction they were originally headed, "lead on." Lafayette smiled and started walking towards the clothes shop that Hercules worked at.

Herc was a tailor—well, a tailor's apprentice. He was too good to be one though, and Lafayette always told him he would move up very soon, which was very true. The thought of his friend always brought a smile to his face and, often, even more than that. John had always told him that he should ask Herc out, but Lafayette knew that he would be rejected, if he even was able to get the words out. It was better to suffer from unrequited love than to have Hercules hate him and be embarrassed by him.

But still, whenever Lafayette thought about Hercules, his face would heat up and he would act like a lovesick puppy, but only because he loved basically everything about the man. He loved his radiant smile, his unique personality, all his flaws, and his beautiful, chocolate colored eyes. Everything.

Alex and Lafayette walked about three more blocks before they reached the shop that Herc worked at. Lafayette grinned in anticipation at seeing his friend again, even if he saw him every day. He reached for the doorknob opened the door, the sound of a jingling bell going off as he entered ringing in his ears. The people in the shop barely glanced up from what they were doing, and continued their business, paying no attention to the two men who walked in. One of the busy attendants **(I mean it's New York, c'mon guys, everyone has to buy costumes for their Broadway shows… wait… that's how New York works, right?)** forced a friendly smile and told them she would be with them momentarily, then turned her attention back to a frustrated customer.

The two boys exchanged a look, and Lafayette chuckled. "She is so busy, she didn't recognize me!"

Alex tilted his head to one side. "You come here often?" Lafayette nodded happily. "Well, I guess that makes sense, seeing as your friend works here."

"Not just my friend, _mon ami_. Herc is one of my best friends in this entire world, and he will love you!" Alex snorted in skepticism, and Lafayette had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. "I promise."

Lafayette strolled up to the front counter and leaned casually against it, waiting for an employee to come up to him. He waited for about five minutes until a hassled-looking young woman that he didn't recognize around his age walked up to him. "Can I help you?" she asked politely, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Lafayette instantly turned on his exaggerated French charm. He couldn't really help it, he just automatically did it around women he didn't know that well or women he was just barely meeting, even if he wasn't attracted to them. He mostly used it to charm women into buying more at the café, or to get what he wanted. It wasn't exactly the most ethical thing to do, but hey, it worked.

He smirked charmingly, and leaned further on the counter. " _Oui, Mademoiselle._ I am looking for my dear friend Hercules Mulligan. Can you help me?

The girl flushed lightly but pointed to the back. "He's back there. You're friends of his?"

Alex opened his mouth to say no, but Lafayette cut him off before he could. "That's right."

"Go ahead then. He's probably working on his project right now, but he hopefully won't mind if you go in." Ah, yes. The project. Hercules couldn't stop talking about it, but refused to tell Lafayette what it was. Maybe he would get a peek today when he went back.

" _Merci, Mademoiselle_." The Frenchman winked at the girl and turned his head back to Alexander, who was trying not to laugh. "Come, Alex, it is time for you to meet Hercules." Alex, still suppressing laughter, followed Lafayette into the back, giving a small nod to the employee, who was blushing fiercely and was still looking at Lafayette, who sighed inwardly. He felt a little bad, as usual, but he brushed the guilt away.

As soon as the two were out of sight and out of earshot of the employee, Alex let out a laugh. "What was that?"

"That, _mon ami_ , was the work of a master. It is how I get what I want from other people, specifically women."

"Wow," Alex said in awe. "That's pretty useful. Exploitative, but useful."

He shrugged. "It works, does it not?" Sighing, he made his way further to the back of the room were Hercules was sitting, sketching in his design book. John stood next to him as he excitedly talked about the design[JM1] . "Hercules!"

The large man whipped around in alarm with a hostile look on his face, which disappeared when he realized that it was Lafayette who called his name. "Laf!" he boomed. Alex jumped at the noise and hid a little further behind Lafayette. Hercules noticed him, and jerked his head towards the small man. "Who's that?"

Lafayette stepped aside to give Hercules a clear view of Alex, "This is Alexander, he is new to America from the Caribbean, and a new employee at the Café where John and I work. I have decided to introduce him to all of our friends, and I wanted you to be the first one.

Hercules looked at back at John, who nodded indifferently. The tailor turned back with wide smile on his face and stepped forward to clap Alex on the back. "Awesome! Welcome to our crazy friend group, man!" Alex staggered forward at the force of the touch, but his lips quirked up into a small smile.

"Nice to meet you," he chuckled quietly, straightening up. He had to look up slightly, since all three men were taller than him. "How many more people are we going to go see?"

"Well," started Lafayette, "You still must meet Peggy and Eliza—"

"They're Angelica's younger sisters, so be careful around them. Angelica is very, very protective," cut in Hercules.

Lafayette pretended to glare at Hercules for the interruption, but he didn't really mind. "Yes, and as I was saying, you have to meet them, but… that might be it."

"There are people here who are the greatest ever, but there are some people you're gonna want to stay away from," Hercules instructed.

Lafayette nodded. "Yes, as you know, you should not get in the way of Jefferson—"

"Wait, what happened?"

"I'll tell you later. Also, you should stay away from his friend, James Madison—"

"Oh, yeah. I'm ninety-nine percent sure that Jefferson is in love with Madison, but you never know, because he also flirts with basically every woman his age that he meets."

Alexander quickly looked back and forth at the two when each one spoke, and Lafayette was afraid the man would break his neck if the conversation went on like this. Lafayette lightly smacked Hercules on the shoulder. "Stop interrupting."

"Sorry," Hercules laughed. "Oh, but there is one person you should stay away from, even if there is no chance you'd even see him. Ever."

Lafayette nodded in agreement. "George Fredrick."

Alexander's brow creased in confusion and slight intimidation. "Who's George Fredrick?"

"Only the richest man in New York City! He owns half of the buildings here." explained Herc. "The only way to describe him would be that he's a tyrant. I mean, it's not like he's a king or anything, but he acts like one, and he's Washington's worst enemy. So yeah, don't go messing with him. Even if we could take him down somehow…"

"Also, don't go near Samuel Seabury, the King's assistant, because that will bring trouble."

"I think that's it. Is there anyone we're forgetting?"

John, who had stayed silent for the whole conversation, spoke up. "Horatio Gates and Charles Lee," he said quietly.

Hercules bobbed his head up and down. "Yeah, you wouldn't like those guys, Alex. They're idiots. Wait… don't they work with you Laf?"

"Yes, _mon ami_ , Alex met them today. He—"

"He was pretty friendly towards them today," John muttered.

Lafayette shook his head in disbelief while Alexander and Hercules just stared at John.

"What?" John demanded. "It's true!"

"No… that is not true, John." Lafayette sighed. He glanced over at Alex, who was staring at the ground. "You didn't see what happened today after Jefferson kicked that bucket of water on Alex."

"Wait, what?" yelped Hercules in alarm.

"Not now, _mon amou_ — I mean… Hercules. I will tell you later. ' _Did I seriously just almost call Hercules "My love"? Good thing he doesn't understand a word of French.'_

Everyone went quiet. John, who had been fiercely scowling, started grinning like a madman. Alex had turned his attention from the floor to the Frenchman and gazed at him, trying to fight down an amused smirk. Hercules, who had apparently noticed the change in atmosphere, madly whipped his head around in confusion, staring at everyone in confusion.

"Wait, what?" Herc stared at Lafayette, whose cheeks turned warm. "What's going on?"

"I-I… nothing! Nothing is happening!"

Lafayette's panic elicited a small snort from Alexander, and Hercules turned his attention to him. "Do you know what just happened?"

"What do you mean?" asked Alex innocently.

"I-I-I," sputtered Hercules, "Everyone was just… everyone was all mad and…"

John snickered. "I think you're going crazy, Herc.

"I am not!" he seethed. Lafayette nervously put his hand on Herc's shoulder, who jumped at the contact.

"It's okay _, mon ami_ ," he chirped. "Let's just forget about this, okay?"

Hercules considered for a minute, and then beamed at Lafayette, almost giving him a heart attack from how adorable his smile was. "Yeah, good idea, Laf."

"How about we go visit Peggy and Eliza?"

"Good idea!" Hercules approved. "Let's go!"

The other three nodded and the group made their way out of the back room to the main room, which was mostly empty by now. As they passed the front desk, the girl from earlier tapped Lafayette on the shoulder and handed him a small slip of paper.

"Let's talk some time," she purred.

"Oh, um… of course…" Lafayette said nervously. The girl giggled as he unfolded the paper and read the information written on it. "…Adrienne…" Adrienne giggled again and waved as they walked away, and Lafayette could have sworn he saw Hercules glaring at her as they left. He was probably just being over-protective.

"Are you alright, Herc?" Lafayette asked.

Hercules nodded and smiled, but it seemed strained. "Yep! Let's go see the sisters!"

And with that, the four men made their way to the flower shop where Eliza worked, and Lafayette once again thanked his lucky stars for the almost perfect day.

 **I know, I know… another cheesy ending. Anyways, I'm really glad that I finally got this chapter out and I promise I'll try to stay on schedule this time. Anyways, I hope I've been using French right throughout this story, because I obviously don't speak it. I take Spanish class, so… Also, whenever Lafayette thinks, it's obviously just supposed to be French, and I know I've been writing it in English, so I guess we'll just have to pretend? Heh… sorry.**

 **I promise this is a Lams story, even if John is being a drama queen right now and even if I put Mulette in there. Okay, bye!**


	5. New Start

Dear readers,

I know it's been a while since I updated. Thank you for reading my story! As I kept writing the story, I realized I didn't like it and I decided to stop for a while. I had a few issues with my writing style and the _way_ I wrote the story. Over the past year, I have been working on developing my writing style and I feel like I've improved. So, taking that into consideration, I've decided I'm going to do a rewrite of this story. The plot won't really change, but there will be a few tweaks in the writing style, to the story progression, and a change in a few other details. In a few days I will delete all the chapters of this story and start over. I've already got a W.I.P, so be prepared for a brand new chapter, and a fresh start!

Thank you for all of your support, it means the world to me, and inspired me to grow as a writer over this past year. And thank you all for your patience. I know I've been gone for a long time, but now that I feel more confident in my writing I believe my story will be even better, and will come with more consistent updates. :)

Love you all!

-IBW


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